Shape Up or Ship Out
by silverwritinggoddess
Summary: This is a sequel to "Letting Go." This starts back at the scene in my fan fiction story in Edward's point of view. So, when he tells her those famous words, he doesn't know how to react when she doesn't cry as he expected her to. No, he is met with a different kind of emotion from her...


(Shape Up or Ship Out—Sequel)

This is done in Edward's Point of View.

Picture is NOT mine.

Source: Photobucket

RECAP:

"I won't come back. You can go on with your life without anymore interference from me. It will be as if I'd never existed." (71, Meyer) - "The Twilight Saga: New Moon"

MY STORY:

Edward felt his heart break when those dreaded words passed his lips. Bella was such a beautiful human girl but she deserved so much more than a monster like him. Besides, he was leaving to protect her. Victoria would come after him and she would no longer bother the sweet creature in front of him. He managed to maintain a cold and stony face so he wouldn't reveal his true feelings. He looked at his singer very closely. Shock and confusion clouded her face before a new emotion crossed her face, an emotion that he would not have expected from the one woman that loved him…scorn.

The vampire felt his entire being shatter. He turned away quickly so Bella wouldn't see his despair. However, he didn't get very far when he heard her say:

"Good riddance. You're nothing but a piece of garbage."

The insult reached his ears and Edward stopped in his tracks. He heard Bella turn away and start back to her house. He knew that he deserved her contempt, but her reaction was quite a surprise. He had expected her to cry and beg for him to stay, but this was NOT what he had expected out of her at all. It was quite frustrating for him to not be able to read her thoughts, even though it was a safe bet that she was bashing him for his decisions. Edward quickly started to follow Bella, ensuring that she got back to her house safely. It was the least he could do.

"It's time to get away from it all." Bella said.

Edward wondered what she meant by that.

Edward spent time alone while the rest of the family was in Denali, staying with a coven there. All he could think about was two things: Victoria and Bella. He left Bella behind in order to protect her from Victoria. In fact, he was trying his hand at tracking her and, so far, he ran into several false trails. It did relieve him, however, that the red-headed wench was out here and not hunting Bella. That was his main concern.

(Bella…)

He could almost smell her lovely and intoxicating scent. Her beautiful image made him feel…alive. The sight brought him some happiness until he remembered the scorn and contempt that came from her lips. Edward stopped. He couldn't stand the fact that she hated him, but he forced himself to live with it. He had no choice if he wanted to keep her safe, even if it meant bearing her hatred. He punched a nearby tree. The force of his punch left an indentation in the bark. That was just another reminder of his monstrosity.

Suddenly, Edward's cell phone started to ring. He didn't need to look to see who it was. Alice was always trying to get him to return to Denali. He wasn't the only one that was suffering from Bella's loss. His dear sweet sister was suffering, too, and it didn't help her that he had forbid her from looking into Bella's future. Emmett was no longer his goofy self and Jasper was completely loathing himself for losing control. Rosalie…well, she was being Rosalie. Carlisle and Esme were deeply affected, too.

(It was necessary to keep her alive.) Edward tried to convince himself.

He finally answered the phone.

"Yes, Alice?"

"Finally!" Her fairy-like voice exclaimed. "You really need to come home, dear brother. Everyone misses you."

"Why would they want me there? I'm dragging everyone down."

"We know that you did it to protect her, Edward."

"Something tells me that you had a reason to call me."

"Right. Victoria is building an army…"

That was all Edward needed to hear.

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The Cullens returned to Forks without hesitation. Alice was anxious to see if her dear friend was alright. Her vision of Bella had disappeared because of the damned wolf pack. Speaking of the wolf pack, they had managed to destroy part of Victoria's army, but if the Cullens hadn't arrived in a timely fashion, the pack would have been annihilated. Edward had immediately set his sights on the red-headed witch. She was quick and her special ability of evasion made it hard for anyone to catch her. However, the golden-eyed vampire refused to give up the hunt. Eventually, her head was torn off of her shoulders and went tumbling into the forest. The wolf pack and the vampires, under an uneasy and temporary alliance, gathered up all of the destroyed vampires and placed them in a pile and burned them.

The wolf pack left without a thank you, save one russet-colored wolf, which briefly disappeared into the woods. Edward flinched as he sifted through the wolf's mind. There were so many images of his beautiful Bella. There was one memory, though, that caught his interest and it terrified him. Jacob re-emerged from the woods and stomped angrily towards Cullens. He needed to know where his friend had disappeared to.

"What did you do to Bella?" He demanded.

"What do you mean?" Carlisle asked.

"I went to her house recently and Charlie said she moved out of state. What the hell did you do to her?"

Edward sighed sadly as he explained his tale. Jacob listened, releasing a low growl every now and then, prompting the rest of the Cullens to crouch defensively to protect their son and brother. Reluctantly, though, Jacob had to admit that he hadn't been of any help either and had been neglecting her as well. He also related of the incident that happened down at the reservation when Bella had slapped Paul. He had lost control and phased into a wolf in front of her. That was when he made his choice (with a little help from Sam, of course).

"It was to protect her from being hurt." He concluded.

"We understand." Carlisle replied gently.

"Where could she have gone?" Esme asked tearfully.

Jacob shrugged. Bella never told him that she was moving out of the state so he had no clue as to where she could be and Charlie had never said anything either, though he didn't ask.

=====================================================

"Well," Alice said. "Charlie tells me Bella moved to Texas."

"Texas?" Emmett asked. "Why'd she go there?"

"Apparently they have one of the best English literature programs down there."

Edward gave a brief smile, remembering that Bella loved literature and that choosing such a major was something that she would go for, even though going to college hadn't been on the map. He sighed. She had been so bent on becoming a vampire that she through all of the human things by the wayside. Jasper looked at his brother and smirked at him before turning back to his wife. It was nice to have his brother back. Emmett noticed too and tried to get him into a headlock. Even Rosalie had to grin.

"Alright, you two." Esme chided, smiling.

"So," Jasper said. "What's the plan?"

"Like you need to ask." Alice said with a grin.

Edward saw his sister's vision of going to Texas. He was taught never to bet against Alice and just nodded. The plan was settled. They would go to Texas and see Bella and, hopefully, bring her back into the family.

"Edward." Alice called.

"Hm?"

"This is a second chance for all of us. I really don't want to mess this up."

Alice sounded fearful and unsure. This was definitely unlike his sister, but he couldn't blame her. They had all messed up by abandoning the most precious person to have entered their immortal lives. They had to shape up or ship out.


End file.
